4 Responses to “Fine dining in a recession”

Great to have this article to read – especially as I’ve only just finished ‘Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper’ and was suffering withdrawal. I didn’t want the book to end!

It was particularly interesting to me to read about your experiences in the early 90s as I had a wonderful – albeit challenging! – time in 1993, travelling through the south of China and into Tibet via Chengdu. In addition, my husband has Fujian heritage. Now I realise I’ve had some dishes (in Singapore) that originate from this region. I will be watching my mother-in-laws cooking even more closely from now on!

I often wonder why people feel so guilty about haut cuisine. If you have the money to spend on that kind of food, why is it wrong? Of course, the damage involved in getting and preparing that food needs to be taken into consideration. If one isn’t taking the food out of another’s mouth nor causing damage to environment or societies, then where is the harm? I myself enjoy the simple foods that the world has to offer. A balanced meal of things that people have been discovering and working on for centuries. The lure of tiny bits of food on huge plates escapes me. To each his own.